Auckland's west coast beaches are about to be seen by millions when The Wilds hits streaming giant Amazon Prime Video next month.
Filmed last year in and around Auckland, including beaches such as Bethells and Muriwai, The Wilds was the first project for Amazon Prime to film here - ahead of Lord of the Rings due to start filming next year.
Part-survival drama, part-dystopian slumber party, The Wilds follows a group of teen girls from different backgrounds who fight for survival after a plane crash strands them on a deserted island.
The Wilds Erana James Spy November 2020
The castaways' dynamics unravel, revealing the secrets they keep, and the traumas they've all endured. But there's a twist to the thrilling drama. The girls did not end up on this island by accident. The show has been described as a cross between Lost and Lord of the Flies.
It features Aussie superstar Rachel Griffiths, as well as a mix of international fresh faces that include an international break-out role for Kiwi actress Erana James, who plays a tomboy called Toni.
James was still in high school when she landed her first big screen role as Laura Chant, a teenager with untapped powers in 2017 Kiwi fantasy The Changeover. The movie was co-directed by local powerhouses and starmakers Miranda Harcourt and Stuart McKenzie.
Other Kiwis to look out for include Alison Bruce, Tandi Wright, Emmett Skilton, Jarred Blakiston and Joe Witkowski.
The series was created by Daredevil writer Sarah Streicher, who produced the show alongside Sex and the City and The Carrie Diaries Amy B Harris.
Three's series The Gulf is getting a run on Netflix just as the second season of the show wrapped filming on Friday. Over the past few months, the show has been shot around greater Auckland, including Waiheke Island, where the series is set. Kate Elliott and Ido Drent return in the lead roles, and this season sees them joined by Sara Wiseman, Alison Bruce, and Vinnie Bennett.
The wrapping up of the series couldn't have come at a better time for Drent, whose third baby is due any day now and he says he is very much looking forward to spending the summer with the family.
It's been a busy year back home for Bennett too. He is starring in the new TV series Good Grief, which is the work of showbiz sisters Eve and Grace Palmer.
Vinnie Bennett and Frankie Adams Spy November 2020
Bennett and his partner Frankie Adams, have enjoyed time back in Auckland this year, away from Hollywood and Canada, where Adams, who is our original Kiwi Amazon Prime star, films sci-fi series The Expanse, whose season five drops the same week as The Wilds. The couple have just adopted an English staffy and are looking forward to a Kiwi Christmas before Adams is due back to film her sixth season of the hit show early next year.
